The 12 Stones of Riverstone Church

The 12 Stones of Riverstone Church

1. WORD

God is building His church for His purpose and in His pattern as found in the Holy Scriptures. The Word is our pattern and blueprint for every ministry and we’re careful to build according to the Scriptures. We choose to follow conventional theology and interpretation of Scripture believing that God’s ultimate plan for redemption is to be worked out through the Church – a people made up of every tribe, tongue and nationality. We will help believers build their personal lives, relationships, marriages, families, finances and businesses on the solid rock of God’s Word by encouraging active faith and obedience and by using every means possible to communicate the Word of God. We desire to avoid ministry trends that may subtly lead us away from the fundamental tenants of Scripture. All of our decisions will be carefully founded on the principles of Scripture.

2. WORSHIP

We embrace the presence of God in our gatherings by worshipping in spirit and truth. Praise and worship are the heartbeat of our church – if we lift Him up He will draw all men unto Himself. Worship is not just music; it is a lifestyle and comes from a right heart. Worship is a high priority – His presence brings refreshing, direction, comfort, conviction, strength, healing, provision, salvation and deliverance. We try to follow the Holy Spirit in worship – so that it delights and glorifies the Lord.

Worship is not entertainment but exaltation of God.

3. WORKS

Without works, faith is dead. God uses encounters with the poor, the widow, the prisoner, the orphan, the broken, the sick and the addicted to test our hearts and to break us from our pride. Works are not to draw attention to ourselves or to “make” a ministry for ourselves but to please the Lord as we respond in obedience to His Word. Our motto is to “walk in God ‘s love and give it away”.

4. LOVE

We are committed to one another and to our community in the spirit of Christian love, unity and fellowship. We are called to demonstrate love, compassion, kindness and gentleness both inside the church and to the outside world. It is important to be like-minded in ministry and we desire to resolve conflicts in accordance with the Word of God. Our focus is on people – not numbers, programs or facilities. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves – these are the two greatest commandments. Our fellowship is founded on that desire and we understand that more than faith, more than hope, love is the most excellent way.

5. FAITH

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are building our ministries on the solid revelation of Scriptures and pointing people toward a personal and daily dependence on the Bible. Faith is not just believing; it’s an action. Through our faith in God we are growing in maturity, building stronger relationships, taking risks and seeing and experiencing the miraculous in healing and deliverance. Through our faith we are building a strong foundation and inheritance for our children, our children’s children and future generations. With God nothing is impossible and we believe He is the answer for every difficult circumstance – health, finances, business, family or social activity – in our family, church or community. Our trust and confidence is in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men to bring about the fulfillment of God’s will and purpose in our lives.

6. PRAYER

Whether personal or corporate, we love to pray! We have experienced the results of fervent prayer over the years – we have encountered God’s presence in our meetings and have experienced His healing power. Prayer is two way communication with our Father and His precious Son, Jesus!

“The fervent and effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

“Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”

We are a kingdom of priests given to intercession for ourselves and others. Personal daily prayer is vital for every believer’s growth and maturity and corporate prayer is the power of agreement which brings down spiritual strongholds. Prayer is more than a necessity – it’s our privilege.

7. SPIRIT

We are committed to following the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the Word of God to determine the direction of our Sunday services, the development of ministries, and His will for us individually and as a church body. We encourage the empowerment of the Holy Spirit through the baptism of the Spirit, infilling of the Spirit and the release of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. We treasure the anointing that is released through Spirit-led worship. We cultivate a submission to Holy Spirit’s direction in all our gatherings – allowing a spiritual liberty to reign in our meetings.

8. HARVEST

Harvest is about obeying our Biblical mandate to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – first in our city, then to the ends of the earth. We endeavour to lead a naturally supernatural lifestyle of loving people as our primary model for sharing the Gospel with those around us, based on the knowledge that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We love to serve our community and believe in ministering to the poor and have several ministries that involve soup kitchens, free clothing, showers, etc. We believe in spreading the love of God to the ends of the earth by involving our church family in missions. Walking in the love of Christ breaks down barriers and allows God to touch people with His unconditional love, drawing them to salvation. The fields are white unto harvest!

9. HEALING

We look to the healing and delivering power of God in restoring people’s lives – spirit, soul and body. Through the blood of Jesus, the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we are committed to helping people to repent and turn away from sinful habits and destructive lifestyles. We believe that strongholds can be broken in people’s lives when they come to sincere repentance and faith, knowing that true change comes to a person’s life when there is a willful decision to cooperate with God’s delivering power. We believe that Jesus took our place and atoned for our sins and by His stripes we were healed; it is God’s will that we live in health and wholeness, free from demonic influence.

Ultimate healing is the result of a life lived in accordance with the Word of God as the Word renews the human mind and soul. We believe in and look for divine healing and understand that healings are signs to confirm the authenticity of God’s Word at work in His Church.

10. DIVERSITY

We are committed to bridging all cultural barriers to reach young and old, male and female, single and married, rich and poor and any nationality. To achieve this diversity we recognize that it demands greater sensitivity, compassion, forgiveness, love, mercy, understanding, and intentional reconciliation.

Jesus is the common ground. We desire to work together with all true Christian churches and denominations, being united in in the love of Jesus Christ and His fellowship.

11. PROSPERITY

We believe in prosperity with a purpose; i.e. that God is going to prosper us because He wants to use us as the seed of Abraham to bless others and extend His Kingdom in the earth. We are committed to tithing as the means of supporting the ministries of the local church. Our tithes are a sign of our covenant with God and our faith in the promise of that covenant. We believe in generosity and liberality toward missions, the poor and needy and giving to other ministries as the Holy Spirit leads. We believe in the law of sowing and reaping. We know that all things in our keeping are a sacred trust from our Father.

12. INTEGRITY

Integrity is having soundness of moral character and honesty.

In our world, we have placed ourselves under the standard of God – His values, His statutes, His laws. We believe Christian character should exemplify the character of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who is calling us to personal holiness. Our primary goal is to see the nature and likeness of the Lord Jesus developed in every believer as they are discipled toward maturity in Christ. We recognize that integrity and Christ-likeness are the foundation of our reputation as Christians.

There is a greater responsibility upon church leaders to live a life of integrity, dignity and maturity in a day when the moral fibre of our society is breaking down and the church regularly comes under scrutiny.